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All Things Home
All Things Home

furniture scooting in the studio

Yesterday, Jeff made the ultimate show of love by moving furniture for me!  Since I have only one fully functioning arm, Jeff enrolled the help of a friend to move six pieces of furniture around our house.  Most of the pieces were moved from the studio to the office or the office to the studio, but some of it ended up in the garage, too. That latest round of furniture rearranging and adding new, more functional pieces to the office, has me more excited about my workspaces than ever. The move that felt like the biggest gamble was putting the shelf from the office on top of the hardware cabinet in the studio… And I love it!  I can’t wait to get it filled and styled. I was nervous that the two pieces would work together in my head and then look stupid in reality and, the only way to

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February 14, 2019 48 Comments
All Things Home

five recliners I’d have in my house

As many of you know, I’ve been having issues with my right shoulder for a couple of weeks.  At first, it just slowed me down a bit, but then it stopped me in my tracks as the pain intensified and started involving my bicep.  My days and nights have been focused on pain management and doctor’s appointments to find some resolution.  Yesterday, I had a procedure to remove the calcium deposits embedded in the tendons in my shoulder and had a cortisone shot to relieve the inflammation.  I’m now resting and allowing my tendons to heal.  I know it’ll be several weeks, maybe even months, before my shoulder is completely back to normal, but I hope to be feeling much better in the next few days. The good news is that a calcific tendonitis flare-up, while painful and debilitating, is treatable and temporary.  Even at my lows, I tried to

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February 8, 2019 96 Comments
All Things Home

home office plans

I’ve already shared the plans for two spaces we’ll be working on this winter and spring (the guest room and studio) and today, I’m sharing the plans for my home office. This is a space made up of a mix of pieces, most of which were brought from our last house and my former studio.  I bought the shelf second-hand off craigslist almost a year ago and the small table used for my printer at a flea market.  While it all looks good, I’ve realized I don’t have the kind of storage and function I really need in a home office. I found myself increasingly frustrated with the workflow in my office that I finally sat down and made a wish list of things would address the issues… Larger desk surface, so I can have my larger monitor and a couple of “working piles” out and still have free desk space.

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February 5, 2019 26 Comments
All Things Home

picture ledges

There are some decorating decisions you make that look nice and you think they will function well, and then they don’t.  Such is the case with a few areas in my studio.  I shared the overall plan HERE and we will start rearranging the furniture and working on those larger projects soon, but I’ve started on some of the smaller changes. One of those changes was making this skinny wall between the two doors work a little smarter… I hung two bulletin boards with the intention of pinning resources, inspirational pictures, color charts, etc.  I’ve pinned this and that, but I never really use it.  I also realized the top bulletin board was too high for me to reach all but the lowest part of it, so it remained mostly empty. With wet paintings leaned up all over the studio, I really needed some picture ledges to use for paintings

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February 3, 2019 109 Comments
Decorating

Home Style Saturdays

I don’t usually post on Saturdays, but I am making an exception to join Home Style Saturdays!  It’s a collection of bloggers who simply share one of their favorite projects or posts.  So, here are a few links for you to enjoy if you’re looking for some weekend reading… Miss Mustard Seed | Laundry Room Makeover • Sources & Inspiration On Sutton Place | Paint Colors & Fabrics Shabbyfufu | Home Office Design Plans So Much Better With Age | Clay Heart Dish for Valentine’s Day StoneGable | Easy Valentine Hand Pies Designthusiasm | Dramatic Kitchen Renovation without Removing Cabinets

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February 2, 2019 5 Comments
All Things Home

butler’s pantry drawers & the gardenia topiary

We’re still all hanging out at home because of the arctic vortex and just learned the boys have tomorrow (Thursday) off as well.  We did have a bit of fun and threw boiling water off our deck to watch it evaporate, but otherwise, we’ve just been lounging around and I’ve been trying to get work done as I can.  I’ve done some painting and I typically would’ve taken time like this to get some more cleaning, organizing, or home projects done, but my shoulder has been preventing that.  Well, we make plans and have to adapt when things out of our control won’t conform to our plans!  I’m having an MRI tomorrow, so they can see what’s going on and the boys should be back in school on Friday.  Hopefully next week will be normal. So, today I don’t really have anything new and super exciting to share, but I thought

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January 31, 2019 39 Comments
All Things Home

guest room design plan

Now that the foyer project is nearing completion, I’m focusing on a few other rooms I’d like to work on this year.  I’ve already mentioned some building projects and rearranging that will be happening in the studio in order to provide more storage and make the space more functional.  I’ll also be working on my home office to address my lack of filing, need for more desk space, and better storage.  Both of those rooms have to be hardworking and I’m looking forward to addressing some of the functional issues I’ve noticed over the past year and a half of use. The “fun room” I’ll be working on is our guest room.   Right now, it has a couple of really lovely anchor pieces of furniture – the French-style bed and the antique German wardrobe wearing original mustard yellow paint. Otherwise, it’s bascially a cream/beige box.  I’m taking those two pieces as

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January 30, 2019 41 Comments
a slice of life

easy chicken and dumplings recipe

Today was another snow day for the boys and they’ve already canceled school through Wednesday due to the cold.   (The high on Wednesday will be -20 degrees F!)  So, it’ll be a bit of a tough work week for me!  I need an empty house to really focus and reach my maximum level of productivity. But, while we’re socked in with the snow and cold, I decided to make chicken & dumplings.  I made them last week to use up a rotisserie chicken that was on its last day and many people asked for the recipe, so I thought I would share.  I also wanted to show how easy it is.  I think chicken and dumplings has the reputation for being complicated to make, but it’s pretty easy!  At least, this version is. When I made it last week, I started with a rotisserie chicken, so that sped things up

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January 29, 2019 No Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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